Christian McCaffrey injury update: 49ers RB’s status revealed vs. Seahawks amid calf issue

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey did not practice Friday due to a calf injury, according to the injury report. He is officially questionable for Sunday’s season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

McCaffrey appeared on the injury report Thursday with a calf issue, which limited his participation in practice. All eyes were on how much he practiced Friday, and he did not participate. That makes him questionable for Sunday’s game against Seattle.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t discuss much about his level of concern for McCaffrey, who dealt with Achilles issues last season. He went the same direction as the injury report by saying his concern is “questionable.”

“It’s questionable,” Shanahan said. “Questionable concern. I’m not going to say anything about Christian, guys, or any of our players’ injuries.”

McCaffrey missed the first eight games of the 2024 season with a calf and Achilles injury. He returned to play the next four games before a knee injury forced him to miss the final five games of the year. He ran for 202 yards and had 146 receiving yards in the four games he played after leading the league in rushing in 2023. That year, he won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.

McCaffrey’s latest setback comes after Shanahan made a lofty prediction for the 2025 season. He predicted his star running back, who appeared to be back to full strength, was gearing up for a big year as he looks to bounce back.

“I like to watch how a guy moves and how he is out there, and I see Christian looking the same as he always has looked,” Shanahan said on KNBR. “So, I don’t really think about that number [his age] when it comes to that case. Now, if he started looking different, then I’d probably start questioning some things, and then I’d probably be looking at how old he is or look at that 30 thing.

“But Christian gives us no reason to think that. He came in healthy this year. He had a hell of an offseason. He’s had a hell of a training camp, and I believe that’s going to lead to a hell of a year.”

The 49ers brought in some running back depth this year behind Christian McCaffrey. They made a deal with the Washington Commanders to acquire Brian Robinson, who came in ahead of Isaac Guerendo on the initial depth chart earlier this week.

Nick Geddes contributed.